AALDEF's National Summit for Youth Advocates!On April 28-29, AALDEF hosted its second summit for AAPI youth leaders and advocates, who gathered from IA, CA, LA, PA, RI, NY, and throughout the nation. We held workshops on the biggest AAPI youth issues, including bullying, language access, the DREAM Act, racial profiling, juvenile justice, and affirmative action. Best of all were the inspiring words from students themselves, like South Philly High School senior Trang Dang, who told the crowd, "We can only be consciously against racism to fight unconscious racism!" View pictures from the summit!

Upscale Restaurant Paid Poverty WagesYoung, aspiring chef Edward Kim was told by popular gastropub Spitzer's Corner that he was being hired as an "apprentice" to Michelin-awarded chef Sung Park. But the apprenticeship at this Manhattan Lower East Side hot spot never existed. Instead, Kim was exploited for cheap kitchen labor, working as long as 19 hours a day and six days a week, and he was paid as little as $2.91 an hour. AALDEF is representing him, and our lawsuit has already been appearing on popular NYC food blogs like Grub Street and NY Eater. Read more...

NYC Voters Get Hindi, Pubjabi, and Bengali HelpAfter the 2010 Census, Queens County is required to provide language assistance to Indian voters under the Voting Rights Act. AALDEF has been actively involved in assisting the Board of Elections to choose languages that will have the greatest impact, and ensuring that assistance will be provided as soon as possible. The Board just announced that various levels of assistance will be provided in Bengali, Hindi, and Punjabi. Read more...

Join Us for a Film Screening and Q&A!On May 24th, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP and the AALDEF Young Professionals Committee (YPC) invite you to a screening of Sing Your Song, a stunning documentary on singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director Susanne Rostock and AALDEF staff attorney Jerry Vattamala on the legacy of Belafonte's 1960s activism and the challenges we face today. RSVP by May 15 to julie.alfin@cwt.com.

Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.